Six New Brunswick Businesses To Check Out At Area 506 This Year
The Area 506 Festival is taking place this weekend in Saint John, in what is perhaps one of the ultimate New Brunswick Day weekend parties you’re going to find.
This year festival goers will head down to Long Wharf to rock out to the likes of The Arkells, The New Pornographers, July Talk, and The Glorious Sons, among many others.
They will also get to take a walk through the festival’s signature Shipping Container Village, where New Brunswick businesses and brands will be setting up shop to showcase their products and what they do.
This year will feature new brands, as well as businesses doing some pretty cool things inside their shipping container.
Here are just some of them:
Breakout Saint John
Breakout Saint John’s escape rooms have become a go-to destination for a fun night out with friends or as a team building exercise for employees. For the festival, they will be bringing one of these rooms to Long Wharf. They plan to have a room set up inside their shipping container that you can book times to escape. They’ll also have a second area set up outside the container with some onsite riddles/games to show what the escape room experience is like.
Fredericton Makerspace
Do you have what it takes to be a master thief? Here is a chance to find out. Fredericton Makerspace is setting up a Mission Impossible-style laser maze inside their 40-foot container. You will be tasked with getting in and getting out without tripping their laser alarms.
Lulujo Baby
Lulujo Baby was founded by Fredericton entrepreneur and mom Dawn Pottier. It started out with her sewing a ring sling for her newborn daughter and has grown to become a global brand. At the Container Village, the company is setting up a dedicated zone for parents and babies. They’ll have a place to sit and feed the littlest festival-goers and an area to change diapers. Much better than using a porta-potty.
Sussex Beard Oil
Sussex Beard Oil has become a New Brunswick success story and a favourite of beard wearers across the province and beyond. At their container, founder Matthew White will be offering free beard trims on site.
PENSION Clothing
PENSION Clothing is an underground clothing brand that has been growing in popularity. But they don’t really care about that. They couldn’t give a damn about anything but their own pensions.
The Hartt Shoe Company
Founded in 1898, this iconic New Brunswick company operated for more than 100 years before it closed in 1999. It had a factory in Fredericton and retail stores across the country. But now it’s back, thanks to Andrew Bedford and his partner Peter McMath who brought the brand and its impeccable quality back to market. At their container, you can pick up your own fair of Hartt shoes as well as learn about the brand’s rich history.
This is only just scratching the surface. You can check out a full list of the businesses taking part here.